Blogs

TAGS:
plein air
+
Oil Painting

When it comes to putting additives into your paints, it just isn't the same as eating a Twinkie or bag of Doritos. Additives are necessary in some cases, especially for landscape artists who work with varying conditions when painting landscapes . They can open up whole new aspects of your paint if...

It is the time of year when we find great joy and inspiration in our gardens. We love to watch our flower gardens slowly unfold through the spring and seemingly explode with the summer sun into a riot of colors, shapes and textures all demanding our attention. However, there is a unique challenge in...

A Short Talk with Dominic Avant The Ninth in an Artist Daily Exclusive Series: The Realities of Fine Art as a Career Hesitant by Dominic Avant, oil painting. What did you find most surprising about being a full-time painter? Even if you can just paint, expect a demanding work schedule. Becoming a full...

Artists who step outside their studios take a leap of faith. When you determine that you are ready to create a plein air painting , you take a chance with lighting, composition, color, and time. All of these are variables that you need to contend with to get your outdoor painting right. Artist Robin...

Below you'll find artist and blogger Jennifer King's discussion of when a plein air painting can be too real. I don't think she's being harsh at all, but you'll have to decide for yourself. Enjoy! ***** I think it's time for some straight talk. I've participated in many, many...

When I went away to college I took a token from each of my loved ones. There was a Frankie Laine CD from my dad, a grungy Pearl Jam T-shirt from my brother, and a charcoal portrait of my mom that was made on the boardwalk of Virginia Beach when she was 14 years old. I lost the CD, and the T-shirt was...

Plein Air Oil Painting with Melanie Vote I get so excited when artists whose work I greatly admire turn their attention to teaching because that is where the creative spark of inspiration comes so often for me. This summer Melanie Vote, an artist I have know for years and respect so much, is giving a...

A Short Visit with Mary Qian The Fifth in an Artist Daily Exclusive Series: The Realities of Fine Art as a Career In the Rain by Mary Qian, oil painting. What did you find most surprising about being a full-time painter? The most surprising thing for me is how busy I am. I thought I would have all the...

Sunset over the Catskills by James Gurney, oil painting. If I want to excel in my craft and become any kind of decent realist painter, the two aspects of oil painting that I need to focus on are color and light. Perfecting the two, together, will allow me to paint anything I want. James Gurney is a plein...

The Coming Storm by George Inness, 1879, oil on canvas, 27 1/4 x 41 3/4. Are you as bored of pretty outdoor painting scenes as I am? My eyes just seem to glaze over when I see a plein air painting scene with picture perfect sunlight over an idyllic landscape. I'm just not inspired. Give me a little...

Lee's Ranch - Sunny Day by Camille Przewodek, 9 x 12, oil on canvas. Even now it sounds like a beautiful, incredible, impossible thing to accomplish. I mean, paint light ? It seemed like magic to me at first. And I didn't understand what it all entailed. That changed after I began studying Camille...

Schloss Kammer at Lake Atter I by Gustav Klimt, 1908, oil on canvas. It seems impossible, right? I mean I'm out there painting, everything looks so fresh and crisp, the air and wind feel so good on my face, and then all of a sudden I am practically in tears because I've done it again. I've...

I put aside my oil painting work to take up a sketchbook and watercolors to capture the sights and sounds around me during my trip . If you are a painter, you know that sometimes the best thing to do is get away from it all...and do more painting. I was very blessed this summer to take a wonderful vacation...

Rocky Cliff by Asher B. Durand, oil on canvas, 1860. Based on an article by Allison Malafronte. As you all well know, I spend a lot of time writing. But I also spend a lot of time reading, and lately I have absolutely fallen in love with reading letters, journals, and diaries of artists. It is like truly...

Squall Line by John Hulsey (30 x 40, oil painting). John Hulsey and Ann Trusty created their website, The Artist’s Road , to inspire their readers and students with practical art tips and plein air painting techniques for the traveling artist. John and Ann have been blogging for us at Artist Daily...